The Crow's Cage
by strawberriesxkiwi
Summary: Mavis Romero suddenly finds herself running from her former demon lover whilst trying to find more out about her own demonic past and more about her mother
1. Run

Three words. That's all it took to make my world come crashing down around me. The sentence that everyone wants to hear. That create the fluttery feeling in your stomach and makes your heart soar with happiness.

Except me.

Those words; seemingly so innocent and warm, made my heart drop like a stone into my already sinking stomach as they're uttered by the man, or should I say demon, I had prayed would never say them.

"Wh-What?" I ask Karasu to repeat himself and flinch at the look of annoyance that flash in those mesmerizing violet eyes. My face must look ridiculous because he takes off that ugly mask of his and smiles. It lacks warmth, Karasu having never been a warm individual to begin with. He is, in fact, rather volatile and cruel and I'll never understand why I let him in the way I did. My throat tightens as he speaks those words once more, still smiling that ever-so-cold smile.

"I said I love you, my darling Mavis." Long fingers skitter across the table we're seated at and I remember that we're sitting in public. At a cafe. It was at his urging that we go out and now I realize why. My mind brings back a memory I really didn't need right now, his words echoing in my ears. " _I kill everything I love._ " Movement thrusts me back into the present and I pull away just before the fingers I know so intimately touch my own. Every fiber in my being is screaming at me to just up and run but it would raise suspicion and my demon lover will no doubt kill everyone within the vicinity just to get at me.

But I can't stay here; not when I know the minute we leave, the watered down, overly sugared cappuccino will be the last thing I have before I am blown to pieces by the corrosive asshole I let into my bed. "O-Oh...uh...please excuse me for a minute. Bathroom," I manage to stutter out a feeble lie as I scramble out of my seat and scurry aware to the bathroom.

"Don't be too long, darling," Karasu purrs out, turning to look at me through those comically tiny glasses with narrowed eyes. "I'm tiring of sitting amongst these... _humans_ ," he spits the word out in disgust as he rests his chin on his palm. I nod, not trusting myself to say any more before running off.

The door swings closed behind me and I let out a breathe I wasn't aware I was even holding. The next thing out of my mouth is a sob and I lurch forward, muffling myself as I mentally thank the gods that this bathroom was empty. My mind is racing, going through every single possible scenario only for them to end with one thing: my death. "Fuck! Fuck, fuck, shit!" I whisper and struggle to swallow, my eyes landing on the only window in this temporary prison I've placed myself in. Thinking quickly, I grab the trashcan nearby and turn it upside down as I push it against the wall.

I glance behind me briefly then climb up, yanking the squeaky window open as wide as it can go. Doubt worms its way into my head and I look down at my hips, biting my lip. Thanks for the wide hips, dad. I shake my head and take a deep breath, hefting myself up onto the window ledge. I climb through, wiggling and clawing desperately at the brick outside, jumping into the alleyway. I take a quick deep breath to calm myself before running off into the plaza.


	2. My Fault

I run until my lungs burn and the muscles in my legs scream at me to stop but I keep pushing until they finally give out. Buckling, my knees collide with the concrete and I yelp, wheezing. All of my decisions leading up to this moment come rushing in, as if to remind me of my multiple mistakes and rub it in. I had moved from Arizona to Japan after finding out I was half-Japanese. When I pressured my dad about keeping the other side of my culture away from me, he caved.

I was more than half-Japanese; I was half-demon. If his face didn't look so guilt ridden, I would have called him crazy and laughed. My mother was a crow demon and a high ranking one at that. She met my dad during his college class trip to Japan. It was, as he described it, a week-long, whirlwind romance and he never heard from her again when he left back to the states. Two years later, I arrive on his doorstep, a miniature version of my mother with no memories prior to that.

After he told me everything he knew, I booked a plane ticket to Japan the next day despite his vehement protests to stay away from demons. I wish I had listened. My heart pounds uncontrollably in my throat and I feel like I have to vomit. My hand instinctively goes for my phone in the back pocket of my jeans but I stop myself. ' _Don't. Don't bring dad into this._ ' I force myself to stand and run through my options, which sadly isn't much. Heading back to my tiny apartment, I run up the steps and quickly get inside, locking the door behind me. Thankfully, Karasu didn't have a key but regardless of that fact, I can't stay here. He'd come sooner or later and a measly wooden door won't hold him back.

I grab a duffle bag that I had originally gotten for the gym I never went to and hastily pack a few clothes, shoes and the essentials. Just as I zip up the bag, the door is blasted off and slams into the wall, knocking over the very little pictures I had hanging. I freeze, dread crawling up my spine and my skin becoming clammy with sweat.

"Now, now, darling. Did you really think you'd be able to run from me?" Karasu's voice is laced with danger and I whimper, turning around to see his hair had turned blonde. Fuck. He steps towards me gracefully, his black coat flowing behind him and I scramble back, fully sobbing as he corners me.

"Karasu...please don't." I whimper, screaming as the wall beside my ear explodes and pieces of the debris cut my face. My ear rings and his words are muffled slightly as I watch him tower over me, his full height creating a shadow. "B-Baby. MMM!" He cuts me off by grabbing my jaw and jamming the skin between his thumb and forefinger into my mouth, his eyes regarding me carefully.

"Shame. You really are so beautiful." He laments, tilting his head to the side and smiling widely. My eyes widen and I let out a choked cry, biting down hard on his hand. Karasu hisses and pulls back, looking at the blood seeping from the broken skin. "Feisty 'til the end, my love." Those words kick me into gear and I kick him in the chest, catching him by surprise. I force myself up and crawl through his legs, standing up shakily. The drumming in my right ear continues, causing my coordination to be off.

I stumble and trip towards the door, everything feeling completely off center. A harsh yank on my hair pulls me back and I shriek as I'm tugged back towards Karasu, a snarl on his face. "NO! NO!" Kicking as I scream, I glance around to see a large shard of glass not too far away from me. Using my foot to bring it towards me, I hastily grab it and take hold of my hair just beneath Karasu's hand. My dad always praised my long, black hair, saying how much it matched my mother's. "I'm sorry, daddy." I whisper as I cut it off, careening forward from the lack of his grip.

Glancing back, I see Karasu holding a large chunk of my hair and glaring at both that and me before throwing it on the floor. It scatters across the tile and I scramble back, the wisps of my now short hair brushing against my cheeks. I chuck the shard at him and run towards the door as another explosion goes off behind me. Running down the stairs, my ankle rolls and I fall down the rest of them, grunting as I hit the concrete. My body hurts but I force myself back up and take off, limping slightly.

I don't know where I'm going and I don't care; I just needed to get away from him. My muscles ache from earlier but I force myself to keep going despite the burning in my lungs and the wheezing gasps for air. My first thought is a women's shelter but I quickly disregard that, not wanting to get those poor women caught in Karasu's crossfires. I didn't have any friends. The only person I had here was Karasu.

Tears roll down my cheeks as I think to myself; what an idiot I've been to let him weasel his way into my life. To make himself my absolute everything. I don't watch where I'm going and bump into someone, falling onto my ass.

"Shit! You okay?" A gravelly voice sounds out above me and I look up to see a tall teenager staring down worriedly. His orange hair was styled in a pompadour and he had broad shoulders with a long face. Grey eyes colored with worry sit above an upturned nose and he reaches down, offering a hand. "Here. Lemme help ya." I'm about to take his hand when he freezes, his eyes widening. "You...You a demon?"

I go cold, pulling my hand away and remembering Karasu saying that some humans can detect demonic energy; that they were trouble and to avoid them at all costs. He reaches for me and I scream, slapping his hand away. "Don't touch me!" I get on my feet and take off once more, ignoring the teen's calls to come back. The sun starts to set by the time I stop for air, every part of my body aching as I sob uncontrollably and slide down the wall I'm leaning against.

My life turned upside down within the matter of a day and now I'm left without a home or any friends to turn to. I let him in, I let him take over every aspect of my life. He made sure I never left the house without him, even getting a job from home at his request. "Stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Berating myself, I punch the ground and ignore the pain it causes.

"Yeah. You are pretty stupid to not hide your energy."

I look up at the sound of an arrogant voice, only making out a face that matched the voice before I'm punched out.


	3. Meeting the Group

"Didya have to punch her so hard, Yusuke?"

"Tch! Shuddup! If you weren't so slow in catching up to her, I wouldn't have had to knock her out, stupid!"

My eyes flutter open and I'm immediately blinded by a bright light right in my face. "Wh...What?" My voice sounds foreign and my body aches. As soon as my eyes adjust to the light, I come face to face with the teen I had met earlier.

"Hey, you're awake! How ya feelin'?" He grins at me and waits for my response, his smile fading when I start screaming. "Whoa, whoa! Calm down, girlie! We ain't gonna hurt ya!" He puts his hands up and backs away from me as I continue to scream, sitting up quickly.

"Go away! Where am I?! Who are you?!" I demand they tell me, taking in the rest of the group. My eyes land on a pretty red head with large green eyes and I blush slightly at his soft smile before a voice I've heard before pipes up.

"Well, which one is it? Go away or tell ya who we are?" A teen with brown eyes and slicked back, black hair glares at me, clearly annoyed. I immediately recognize him and anger burns through my chest.

"You! You're the asshole that punched me!" Jumping off the bed, I wobble a bit but force myself to step forward. The teen grins and shoves his hands in his pockets, whistling.

"Ooh! Got some fight in ya after all, huh?" He dodges my first punch, his grin widening as he easily side steps me. "Come on. Ya ain't even giving it your all." His jabs anger me more and I scream, whirling around too fast. I become lightheaded suddenly and I sway, groaning.

"Yusuke, don't antagonize her." The red head catches me just before my knees buckle underneath my weight, guiding me back to the bed and setting me down gently. He then kneels in front of me, that same calming smile on his face. "Don't be frightened. We aren't going to harm you. I'm Kurama, the smart mouth in green behind me is Yusuke." Kurama points to the pompadour sporting teen, who grins widely. "That's Kuwabara-"

"But you can call me Kazuma, if ya want!" Kuwabara interjects, crossing his arms and beaming. I nod, turning my attention back to Kurama as he then points to a short, spiky haired man sitting in the windowsill, introducing him as Hiei. The shrimp scoffs, refusing to even look in my direction as he readjusts himself and his sword.

' _Jerk._ ' I grimace, jumping when a blue haired girl in a kimono pops up in front of me.

"Hiya! I'm Botan! I'm this group's guardian slash helper!" She waves, glaring at Yusuke as he makes a deprecating comment towards her. "Can you tell us your name?" Botan asks and kneels next to Kurama, smiling.

I panic, shaking my head fervently and scooting back. "N-No...No...please, I just wanna go home." Tears sting my eyes and I dig my fingers into the sheets, staring at my knees.

"Go home? Ya ain't got one anymore. The spirit world already ransacked it from top to bottom. Ya know, since ya smell like a demon and all." Yusuke murmurs, leaning against the adjacent wall. That's all it took for me to burst into tears, sobbing. "Ah, shit." He grumbles as the group, minus Hiei, turns to glare at him. His apologies aren't heard over my crying, a frown on his face.

"Tch. Quit your crying, onna." Within an instant, Hiei appears in front of me and yanks my head back hard by my hair. "Tell us why you smell like a demon and why you were running." He tugs harder, earning a pained yelp as his crimson eyes burn into mine. I squirm within his grasp, clawing at his hand tangled in my chopped up hair. "Stop moving if you want to keep all your fingers." Hiei threatens and I immediately stop, sniffling. The coldness in his eyes reminds me of Karasu and I feel sick to my stomach.

I try to quell the panic rising in my chest, on the verge of hyperventilating when the door bursts open...and a toddler walks in.

"Hiei, release her." He commands, sounding completely understandable around the blue pacifier in his mouth. My eyes widen as he waddles over to us and Hiei all but pushes me away from him, flitting back to the windowsill to stare outside once more. The toddler is followed by a large blue ogre that shyly shuffles behind him and lifts him onto the bed. "I'm Koenma, the manager of this group and the son of King Enma, the ruler of the spirit world. I'm asking nicely this once for you to explain yourself. If you refuse to comply, we'll have to use more drastic measures." Koenma states as he stands on my lap, his hands behind his back.

"I..." How am I supposed to take this seriously when there's a freaking talking toddler on my lap?! But judging by everyone's serious faces, it seems I don't have much of a choice.


	4. Explanation

"My name is Mavis Romero. I'm originally from Arizona but I moved here over two months ago after finding out from my dad that I was half-demon." I start, twisting my dirty shirt in my hands as I feel all of their eyes on me, waiting for me to continue. "Not long after I got here, I began searching for any leads to my background and I...I stumbled into a portal, I guess." Struggling to describe where I ended up, Yusuke butts in.

"Did it look pretty dead as far as the land went?" He asks, sighing when I nod. "You ended up in the demon plane. What? Did you just walk through a portal without paying attention?" Yusuke frowns when I shrug, rolling his eyes.

"I wasn't intending on going into the damn demon plane, okay?! I was just following the directions on my phone to get back to my apartment!" I snap, jumping at a gentle pat on my hand. Looking down, I see Botan beaming at me as she squeezes my hand and I take a deep breathe. "I don't know how I wandered in. I just looked up and saw that I wasn't in my world anymore. I tried to find a way out but I got lost and...I guess my mother was high ranking or something because some...demons said they could smell it on me. They chased after me and caught me pretty quickly." I curl in on myself, remembering them talking about taking advantage of the rare opportunity to get with a high ranking crow bitch.

Once again, tears form in my eyes and I angrily wipe them away, forcing myself to continue. "They...They wanted to take every advantage that they could then kill me after since my head could fetch a hefty price. They...began tearing at my clothes and biting me." The tears keep coming and I do nothing to stop them from sliding down my face. "I screamed for help until I was hoarse and I thought I was going to die when, out of nowhere, one of the demon's heads was lopped off." I then explain how Karasu was the one that saved me and how he basically made me indebted to him. "He just saved me. I couldn't deny him! I thought that if I did, he'd kill me!

"And he was the first person that would help me! So I let him in! I let him take complete control over everything I did. He's the one that hid me from you guys. He suppressed my aura. I wasn't allowed to leave my apartment without him." The room is deafeningly silent and I can't help but let out a choked sob, stiffening when Botan hugs me tight. "It...It wasn't until a month later that he...he..." Another sob cuts me off and I can't finish my sentence, Botan tightening her hug.

"You don't have to say it, Mavis." She whispers against my shoulder, rubbing my back. I look up to see Yusuke glaring at the door, his face thunderous. In fact, they were all wearing the same deadly expression. I bite my lip, turning to Koenma as he clears his throat.

"Who's your mother, Mavis? We have no records of any births within the Crow factions." He asks, glancing at the blue ogre behind him and watching him shuffle through a stack of papers.

"I don't know. Dad wouldn't tell me her name and he essentially knows nothing about her clan. They were only together for a week and I have no memories prior to living with him." I explain, sniffling and rubbing my eyes. Koenma nods and snaps his fingers, frowning when the ogre drops all of the paperwork in his haste.

"Jorge! Absolutely useless you ogres are." The toddler complains, turning back to me. "Alright. Since you have an S rank demon essentially chasing after you, I'm placing you under protection." He jabs his thumb towards Yusuke, ignoring his complaints. "They'll be your bodyguards until we can either return you to your father or your clan. The other option is to wait until Karasu's infatuation with you dies out but that's the least likely of them all since crow demons are so damn stubborn." Jumping off the bed, he gives me a glance. "I'll get the paperwork started. In the meantime, you choose whom you'd like to stay with." With that, Koenma leaves me with the group, shutting the door behind him.

We sit in silence, the only one not fidgeting being Hiei.

"I can't take ya. My mom would kill me." Yusuke speaks first, giving me a sad look as Kuwabara nods while mentioning his sister. "Being in the demon plane would be a big mistake so obviously Hiei's out." The angry shrimp scoffs at Yusuke's words but he ignores him. "Botan's also out considering she's technically living with me. So that just leaves..." He turns to the red head who just smiles back at him.

"I don't mind and I'm sure my mother wouldn't mind taking in a foreign exchange student." He directs his smile to me and I stare back in confusion. Foreign exchange student? But I'm not...Oh. That would be the cover up story. I can't help but smile back at him, letting him take my hand as we all leave the hospital wing. We all walk together until we hit our respective streets. They each wave goodbye until it's just Kurama and I left. He gives me another heart stopping smile before tugging me away.

We remain silent the entire walk, my eyes glued to our intertwined fingers. A familiar sensation washes over me and I glance up at the redhead, eyes wide. "You're suppressing my aura...aren't you?" I ask and we stop walking, Kurama turning towards me with soft eyes.

"Yes. It's a must in order to keep you out of his radar." He explains and smiles softly, squeezing my hand reassuringly. "Come on. My house isn't too far from here." About to continue walking, Kurama stops himself, "Oh! And it's best to call me Shuichi in front of my mother, alright?" He beams at me, as though waiting for me to repeat the name.

"Shu...ichi." I mumble around the name and blush at his praise, following after him to a modest house. Flowers adorn the windowsills and a potted plant sits next to the door. "Wow...how beautiful." My voice is barely a whisper as my eyes rake over the blooming variety of roses and carnations.

"Thank you. I'm a bit of a...plant lover." Kurama chuckles and unlocks the front door, pausing to remove his shoes before stepping into the threshold. He then turns and waits for me, smiling when I scramble after him. I hurriedly kick my shoes of and step in after him, freezing when a voice floats through the hallway; gentle and sweet with a warmth to it.

"Shuichi, is that you, sweetheart?" A woman barely taller than me by a foot steps into view, her hands covered by a washcloth and an apron tide around her waist, cinching her green dress. Her dark hair rests on her shoulder in a braid, her bangs pinned to the side. "Oh, hello! A new friend, Shuichi?" She asks, smiling sweetly and turning to her son.

"Yes. Mother, this is Mavis. Mavis, this is my mother, Shiori. Mavis is visiting Japan, mother." Kurama explains and beams as I bow, greeting Shiori.

"Pleasure to meet you, ma'am." I whisper, fidgeting in my spot as she greets me back. Warmth radiates from her; so much so, it's suffocating yet I want it to. Desperately. The urge to run into her arms well up in my chest and I have to force myself to stay still. I glance at Kurama and he immediately reads my face.

"Mother, Mavis is staying with us for a bit. I know you really don't mind and she needed a place to stay. Her other option...fell through." He states so matter-of-factually and I stare wide eyed at his confidence. My mouth drops when Shiori readily agrees and I glance between the two in complete shock. "Thank you. Come, Mavis. Let me show you your room." Kurama tugs me away from his smiling mother through to the end of the hallway and up the stairs where three rooms sit adjacent to one another. He leads me to one with bare tan walls and a large bed in the middle of the room. "You may have this room. It's our guest bedroom but please feel free to make yourself at home here."

I nod and step inside, looking around at the wooden dressers placed against the wall adorned with small knickknacks. Sunflowers sit on the windowsill, basking in the warmth of the summer sun and I touch their soft petals gently before turning to the bed. White sheets decorated with blue flowers, the stems tangling together. "Really got a flower theme going on here." Kurama chuckles behind me and I glance shyly at him, smiling until I realize that I have nothing but the clothes on my body.

"Don't worry. I'll take you shopping. In the meantime, you can borrow some of my old clothes. I'll be right back with them." The redhead leaves the room before returning with an arms full of clothes and dumping them on the bed. "I'm sure these will fit you just fine." A smile graces his gorgeous face and I feel my own turning the color of his hair. "I'll leave you to change. My room is just beside yours so don't hesitate to call for me should you need anything."

' _What if I need you?_ ' I suddenly think before mentally chastising myself. ' _You're technically in witness protection and the first thing you think of is screwing your bodyguard? Classy, Mav._ ' Puffing out my cheeks once Kurama closes the door, I peel the sweat ridden and dirty clothes off my body, chucking them into the corner. Picking up a shirt, I look it over and scrunch my nose. Definitely a teenager shirt. Except it's not. What kind of teenager wears polo shirts?! I pause in the midst of pulling the shirt on and an image of Kurama wearing this pops into my head.

Now that I think about it, he does strike me as the goody two shoes kind of kid in school. The good looking, straight laced teen that you wouldn't want to get on the bad side of. Finishing getting dressed, I open the door and step out to see Kurama waiting at the end of the hallway with his eyes closed, back to me. A grin crosses my face at the thought of scaring him and I tiptoe towards him, about to touch his shoulder when he suddenly whirls around and slams me against the wall, his long fingers pressing into my throat.

"It's not a good idea to sneak up on me, Mavis." He growls before releasing me and I quickly nod, staring at him with wide eyes as I whisper out an apology. Taking a deep breath, Kurama steps back and calls back down to his inquisitive mother. "We're fine! Just closed to the door a bit too hard!" Looking back at me briefly, he then turns away and heads down the stairs, leaving me alone.

What the hell was that?! His eyes weren't his eyes. They weren't green in color but rather gold and burning fiercely. I take a deep breath to calm my rattled nerves and head down to the kitchen where Shiori has dinner set up. We eat in silence except for the occasional question from Shiori.

"So you're half Japanese? From which side?" She asks, genuinely curious and I force a smile.

"My mother. My father is Mexican, hence the last name Romero." I answer, pushing the rice around my plate. "Dinner was really good, Minamino-san. But I'm afraid I don't have much of an appetite. Jet lag." I stand and bow to her before hurrying back up the stairs and into my new room. Closing the door, I then throw myself onto the bed and allow myself to cry into the pillow. Within just a day, my entire life has been destroyed. Just by three simple words.


End file.
